On parking, Tough Mudder means tough luck

We get it. Tough Mudder is not a spectator sport. Never was, probably never will be.

After all this has never been an event for the faint of heart. This is for brave - or brainless - souls willingly to sacrifice their tightly honed bodies in the name of toughness.

Tough Mudder is not about standing on the sidelines. It's about being tough, it's about doing, not watching.

Still, the 5,000 people expected to come out and watch the 16,000 Mudders wind their way through a 10-mile extreme obstacle course on Saturday and Sunday will be forced to jumped through plenty of hoops themselves.

First, there's the $20 entrance fee - $40 if you pay at the gate. Then there's the liability waiver to prevent you from suing the organization when you fall into the mud. Then there's the 10-mile ride to the venue on a school bus - there is no parking at the event site. Then there's the ride back on a mud-caked school bus with all your Mudder buddies.

Oh wait, we forgot to tell you, you also have to pay for parking at the shuttle lot - $10 if you come alone. Carloads of four or more are free. Don't like it? Tough.

This year marks the first of five annual Tough Mudder events planned for city-owned land northeast of Mansfield Lahm Airport.

This highly anticipated Tough Mudder challenge is bringing more than 21,000 people to Mansfield. They are coming from Cleveland, Columbus, Indiana, Pennsylvania. Mudder mania will bring tough men and women from all across America to challenge what is billed as the toughest obstacle course in the world.

And, as with any sporting event of this magnitude, there have been a few hiccups along the way. Like parking, for instance.

First organizers told participants they could park at the Mansfield Motorpark Speedway. When that plan fell through - three days before the event - they went to plan B. Except there was no plan B.

After a brief period of raised voices and finger-pointing, plans moved forward. In the true spirit of Tough Mudder, organizers adapted and overcame the obstacle.

After this inaugural year, Mansfield has four more chances to get the parking situation worked out. With this many toughsters and their tough fans coming to visit Mansfield, the pressure's on to get this right.

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On parking, Tough Mudder means tough luck

We get it. Tough Mudder is not a spectator sport. Never was, probably never will be.